Dream
by LoveAnimeForever
Summary: ONESHOT - J-Drama-verse - Ren-centric - Drabble - 2am. Ren wakes up, turns off his malfunctioning alarm clock, and goes back to sleep... - Thanks to 64damn prompts on LJ for the prompts.


**Dream**

By LoveAnimeForever

* * *

Thanks to 64damn_prompts on LJ.

_1. 2 a.m._

The alarm goes off. Ren wakes up. His clock must be malfunctioning again. He whacks it to make it shut up, curls back up and goes back to sleep.

_2. metaphor_

He dreams of 3-D and times past. Somewhere deep down, he feels as if he's missing something.

_3. sky_

They're at the field, playing Kick-The-Can. Yankumi never gets tired of it. She's a weird woman. Ren pauses for a moment, looks up at the blue expanse watching over them all. And for that moment, he feels connected to everyone and everything, just because they share that sky and those clouds.

_4. lost scene_

And then a can hits him on the back of the head. He turns around, ready to punch someone. The scene shifts.

_5. degrees_

There are different shades of black, Ren realizes. And each and every one of them swirls before his eyes right now, in this sleep void where he's not even supposed to see, because he doesn't have a body, let alone eyes.

_6. seize the day_

The colors return. Yankumi is lecturing them again. Live proudly and face the sun in everything you do. Yeah, she's a weird woman.

_7. opposite_

But Ren doesn't like the sun. He likes the moon. He likes sleep, and his dreams, and he doesn't like reality. Not since he graduated.

_8. passions run_

But then again, school… Isn't reality. It's a realm to let loose and have fun, and to pick fights and skip classes.

_9. connection_

To make friends.

_10. lull and storm_

To argue with them. To apologize and then argue again.

_11. animal_

To live wild, like a beast with nothing but instincts to play.

_12. children_

(And to annoy that idiotic vice principal.)

_13. we all float on_

Clouds. What, is he Mary Poppins, now? He looks down, and discovers he's above the school. Memories waft up to him; he savors each and every one.

_14. chess_

There was one time, he and Yamato tried to settle things… Civilly. Everyone knows how that turned out. And everyone knows neither of the class heads can play chess.

_15. duty_

But they had to settle it, right? No matter what Yankumi said about comrades (which they were…) (hopefully), they had to find out who was stronger. A friendly match. Yeah.

_16. rip_

Yamato's sleeve got ripped during their _friendly_ match. Oops. They'd had to think of how to explain it to his mother. (And father. That, was on a wholly different level on its own.)

_17. missing time_

Thoughts, images, words. Everything flies past Ren, and he wonders where all that time went. Years had used to seem so long.

_18. crest_

A rushing wave. Crashing down. Goodbyes. Graduation.

_19. itch_

There was another time, when Yamato got an itch right at the small of his back. Where he couldn't reach. Ren found it immensely funny.

_20. explode_

Until, that is, Yamato punched him in the face.

_21. rise_

Hard.

_22. crumble_

The cloud turns into mist, and the school sort of disintegrates. Ren finds himself surrounded by black again.

_23. range_

The blacks turn into a myriad of flashing lights – the arcade. A hunting range for teachers. The prey for tonight? 3-D.

_24. fight/flight_

Better run. … … … Or…

_25. acid_

Too late. Sawatari has Yamato by the arm. The man's holier-than-thou attitude was like poison. It wouldn't be long now… There we go.

_26. color_

Yamato punches him. His face is a very nice shade of purple the next day.

_27. give_

Another change in scene. The six of them are sitting around a Christmas tree at Yankumi's house. Midnight. After a long lecture on the meaning of "what it is to give" in horrible English, Yankumi finally allows them to exchange presents.

_28. needle_

A… Sewing set… Is Satoru crazy?! (To patch up Yamato's uniform, apparently. Ren shakes his head exasperatedly and whacks Satoru about the head.)

_29. locks_

Idiotic presents aside, Ren gives Yamato his present. A necklace with a lock pendant. (Isn't that something you give your lover?! Ren whacks Satoru again.)

_30. slope_

Yet another shift. The whole class running down a hill, towards a non-existent sunset.

_31. correspondence_

Promises to keep in touch.

_32. linger_

Unwillingness to part on that last day.

_33. charm_

Yamato gives him a charm to attach to his handphone. In exchange for the necklace. They would be friends forever.

_34. roads_

At the end of the hill is a road. The class has to split to get home now. Symbolic.

_35. hunger_

Ren misses the togetherness. It wasn't something the big, empty world liked to give out.

_36. reciprocity_

And if you tried to make to first move, and be nice to your co-workers, you got looked at weird.

_37. kind_

It isn't that bad, sometimes. Ren made some new friends. Strangely, they are all the same "type" as Yamato and gang.

_38. fruity_

Another swirl of black, and Ren finds himself in a fruit orchard. (This is new…) Yamato gets pushed into a tub of… What _is_ that stuff?! Well, whatever it is, it smells like… Uh… Fruits.

_39. half-life_

Yamato pulls himself out of the tub, dripping in the unknown fruit-smelling substance. He looks like some zombie risen from hell.

_40. comedy of errors_

Satoru – who had pushed him in, in the first place – must be scared. He runs away.

_41. tragedy_

The scene fades away.

_42. hope is the thing with feathers_

A night. The six of them. Splayed out on a hill, watching the stars.

_43. empire_

The next day, they go their separate ways for job interviews. Napoleon said, divide and conquer.

_44. turpentine kisses and mistaken blows_

No one said anything about Satoru pushing Ren into Yamato as a farewell practical joke. If Yamato had been a girl, Ren wouldn't have minded. As it was, they end up in a fist fight.

_45. rings_

Yet another change in location. A church, actually… Yankumi was getting _married?!_ … … Ah, to Tetsu-san. That isn't as big a deal as otherwise.

_46. dust_

Back in the classroom. Musty.

_47. every you, every me_

It feels empty without all the 3-D students.

_48. project_

There's still a banner across the blackboard. It's one of Yankumi's "Operation: Something Or Other" banners.

_49. adore_

Ren doesn't hate Yankumi's pet projects anymore. But he can't say he loves them, either. He just… Doesn't mind them. Yeah.

_50. murmur_

In his heart, he acknowledges that he misses the antics he and his classmates got up to.

_51. above_

Everything 3-D did sent the teachers and directors into a rage. It was amusing.

_52. below_

And everything 3-D did, 2-D vowed to surpass. That was even _more_ amusing.

_53. incalculable_

Their cute little juniors had infinitely deep wells of evil within them. Ren had always wanted to work with them to prank… _Someone_. (Saru…)

_54. wire_

Well, he got his wish. It involved a lot of steel wire, and holding the chairs and tables in precarious positions with said steel wire, and a last bit of wire to pull…

_55. landslide_

They finished just in time. When Sawatari came to the 3-D classroom after getting news that 2-D was missing and hearing the noise of two –D classes _combined_, he got quite the surprise…

_56. the beginning is the end is the beginning_

Expel them! Expel them all! – They're just children… – Expel them anyway!

_57. door_

Outside the door to the staff room, two classes of delinquents sniggered at the now-common exchange.

_58. enemy gate_

And _then_ Yankumi came out and stormed them back to the classroom.

_59. stone_

She stood at the front of the class, surveying the 3-D students (at their desks) and their juniors (crowded at the back of the room, leaning against the wall) with a death glare. There was a chill wind.

_60. bright_

A bright flash of light, and a change of scene again. Apparently, Ren's dream has gotten tired of black.

_61. stories_

Or not. It'sdark, with only a few candles lighting the room. Well, _this_ is familiar… Ren grinned.

_62. chime_

The school bell chimes, waking Ren from his sleep.

_63. laugh_

A dream… Of a dream? Beside him, Yamato and the other four get up as well. You should see your face right now. Did you dream of a naked Yankumi, or something?!

_64. hold_

Ren rolls his eyes as his friends laugh themselves silly. School isn't over yet. That's good. He's gonna hold on _tight_ to these remaining months. And _definitely_ gonna try that thing with the wire, tables, chairs, and his cute little juniors.


End file.
